John Goschke

Stick a fork in this one, it's DONE! More Photos in "Under Glass"!

1957. Don't have a current value for you but this kit's highly desirable in any condition. Some builders may shy away 'cause of the multi-piece body, but it's very accurate, and the molds were irrevocably altered to a customized Ranchero version in the early '60s. Congrats on a great find!

Beautiful piece of the modeler's art there!

The choice is clear; Clear.

Awesome! Has a real aggressive look!

Looks like some good raw material there, Ron! At least they didn't thoroughly weld the skirts on like so many of these we see. Fixing those spots where the antennas were glued on top of the rear fenders, in that little trough between the "taillight fairings," oughta be an adventure! Here's the hardtop I did about a bazillion years ago (from a fresh kit, purchased for the princely sum of $20!). Pretty much box stock 'cept for the '61 vintage AMT tires and a little "attitude adjustment" to give it a hi-po Galaxie stance. Between this thing and Steve's beautiful ragtop, looks like we've got yellow covered! Maybe your's oughta be red!

Outstanding piece of work!

Your resto looks great so far, Ron and that Lincoln is awesome! Your Buick was the same color as the one I started to restore awhile back and set aside. To Bill's point about the Revel-o-gram '59 Impala up-top, here's a shot of mine with that roof fitted. The tulip panel has to be opened out so the top can fit inside and the well from the Impala was used but lengthened about an eighth of an inch to fit behind the rear seat (after the "package shelf" behind the seat was cut off). The width across the windshield header is perfect and the length is just right as well. One wacky thing about AMT's '60 Buick is the inaccurate wheelbase. Here's a drawing I did when discussing this with another guy who was planning on building the kit. After doing the adjustment both ways described, I think sectioning the chassis is easier and gives you more options when adjusting the ride height...

Here she is fresh outa the masking tape! Mixed Tamiya Lacquer '59 Plym. Emerald Green Metallic with Tamiya Pearl Green panel outlines and scallops

Really nice work, Marcos! I love that color on the Starliner. Cursing in Spanish or English works quite well to relieve the stress of applying BMF; best to wait 'til the family's outa the house though.

Daryl added a fair amount of detail to his model, including the dual shocks and diff. cooler, so that's why we added the following note to that side panel illustration... "*Enhance the detail of your model as shown with wiring, plumbing, photoetched parts and other accessories from a number aftermarket suppliers!"

Daryl Huhtala's great model was photographed by Bill Coulter. Thanks, guys! Graphic design and Photoshop Phun by yours truly. Thanks to Dave Burket for entrusting me with this project. And especially to Paul Goldsmith!

Right, Bill. I think the way it worked in the 1/1 world was that '63 and '64 Caddy two-door hardtops, Pontiac Grand Prix 2DHT, Olds Starfire and Jetstar 2DHT, Buick LeSabre and Wildcat 4DHT, Olds 88, Chevy and Pontiac 4DHT all used that "low-crown" windshield. All the others used some variation of the "high-crown" style.

The "USA Oldies" series were released in a variety of colors during their rather lengthy production run and the nutty colors don't add anything to the collectible value. Original '59 and '60 Annual kits were molded in white (which often ages to an ivory color). If I remember correctly annuals in '61, '62 and '63 were released in tan, light blue, light yellow and light green. And annuals from '64 into the late '60s (when I stoppped paying attention for awhile) were mostly white. One point about Johan's '64 (and '63 for that matter) Caddy convertible; the windshield header is not correct and should be replaced with one similar to the '63 - '64 Impala, with a higher crown. Hope this helps.

Say what you will about IPMS, but this is the BEST DEFINITION AVAILABLE of an "out-of-the-box" build! Shouldn't be too difficult to apply to a car or truck build.

Just awesome!

Go ahead and turn those suckers, Dennis! I've got an extra set of those slicks to contribute to the cause if you fry the ones you've got.

Mockup looks great, Dennis! I like the stance as it is now, particularly the way the outline of the rear tire complements the wheel arch. Well-engineered, authentic-looking build. At some point you may want to check whether those slicks would've been available at that period. Those tires were originally present in early-mid '60s AMT kits and were the second type of drag slick they used. Finding a period perfect, matched, set of big 'n littles for a late-forties-early fifities car is a bitch!

Looks like a real clean build!

I'll see you's guys dere!

Awesome thread here! Thanks for a great tutorial. The mocked up model looks just perfect!

Beautiful!

Beautiful restoration that more than does justice of one of the best AMT annual kits ever! This kit definitely has the best interpretation of the '62-'64 GM two-door hardtop roofline.

Slick! Love that smooth paintwork!

Virgil, another another work of twisted inspiration here! I love it!